SHERICA
A play by Ian Winterton
“Now hear, you blissful powers underground –
answer the call, send help.
Bless the children, give them triumph now.”
– Aeschylus
“My family, right, we’re fucked, all the way back as far as any of us can remember. I’m fucked, too. I know that. But Natalie – she ain’t.”
A gripping and thought-provoking tale of sex and blackmail.
Brought up in the care system, Katie knows the only important things in life are money and family. Earning money as a sex-worker to ensure a better future for her younger sister, Natalie, she finds herself caught between two of her infatuated clients –loathsome rich-kid Douglas and hypocritical teacher Michael. When Douglas unleashes a blackmail plot, Katie has to fight to prevent the truth from reaching Natalie.
Sherica was written by Ian Winterton in 2010. It won a Manchester Theatre Award, and was nominated for the BBC’s Alfred Bradley Bursary Award. The version to be performed for this production is an extended text, with an extra character, and has only been seen prior to this as a public table read.
Featuring
Leah Eddleston - KATIE BARNES (aka 'Sherica')
Jonathon Carley - MICHAEL FEATHER, English teacher
Claire Dean - HOLLY FEATHER, his wife, art teacher
Richard Vergette - MR. POPE, deputy principal, maths teacher
Ellie Blythin - NATALIE BARNES, 14, Katie's sister
Tristan Royle - DOUGLAS ROSE, 14
Kyle Fisher - RYAN, a 'businessman'